Types of Exercise

Aerobic, Anaerobic and Mobility: What You Actually Need and Why


A complete exercise routine needs three things: cardio to support your heart and burn fat, resistance training to build and maintain muscle, and mobility work to keep you moving freely and injury-free. Most people do one or two of these consistently and neglect the third. Here's what each one does and why all three matter.


Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise means your body has enough oxygen to sustain the activity for extended periods. Oxygen is the primary energy source. Your heart rate elevates but stays at a level you can maintain.

Examples include walking, running, cycling, swimming, skipping rope, rowing and dancing.

The benefits are significant: stronger heart and lungs, improved oxygen delivery to muscles, fat burning, lower blood pressure, better blood sugar regulation, improved mood and reduced inflammation.

Walking is my primary aerobic exercise and I average over 14,000 steps a day. It's sustainable, joint-friendly and genuinely enjoyable. Never underestimate how powerful it is.


Anaerobic exercise

Anaerobic exercise means your body can't get enough oxygen to keep up with the energy demands. These are short, intense bursts of effort that rely on stored energy in the liver, muscles and body fat rather than oxygen.

Examples include resistance training, sprinting, HIIT and CrossFit.

The benefits: stronger muscles, stimulated bone growth, improved body composition, better balance and posture, and a higher resting metabolic rate. This is the type of training that reshapes your body.


How I combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise

I never sit down and rest between sets. After a resistance exercise like a pull-up or push-up, I walk around until my heart rate comes down before attempting the next set. The lower intensity movement facilitates recovery from the higher intensity exercise while still expending energy and maintaining cardiovascular fitness. It also makes training sessions significantly more time-efficient.

Antagonistic training →


Mobility

Getting fitter and stronger is essential. But moving freely is equally important and it's the area that gets neglected most as people get older.

If you're experiencing pain or restriction in your movement, the problem often isn't a lack of exercise. It's a lack of mobility. Maintaining and improving your mobility helps you move more comfortably, improves your range of motion and makes you more resistant to injury during training.

A dynamic warm-up before each workout is one of the best investments you can make in long-term joint health and movement quality. Here's what that looks like in practice.

The Ready State: Mobility exercises and tutorials by Dr Kelly Starrett →

The Ready State YouTube channel →


A simple dynamic warm-up routine

Here's the dynamic warm-up I use before my workouts. If you're unsure how to perform any exercise, search YouTube for a quick video tutorial. Start with 5 minutes of brisk walking or 1 minute of star jumps. Then perform each of the following about 10 times.

  1. Arm circles
  2. Air squats
  3. Single leg Romanian deadlift
  4. Kneeling hip flexor stretch with overhead reach
  5. Lunge with thoracic spine rotation
  6. Standing walkout plank

This takes about 8 to 10 minutes and genuinely makes a difference to both performance and injury prevention. Don't skip it.



Health should feel like your best life, not a break from it.

Marco ☕




Marco Asnicar

About Me

I'm Marco Asnicar, personal trainer, nutrition coach and founder of Vitality Marco. I didn't discover the Mediterranean method. I grew up living it, shaped by Italian roots, real food and movement as a natural part of daily life. I coach men and women aged 35 to 55 to do the same. No restriction. No fads. No giving up the life you love. Just a way of eating and living that genuinely feels good and gets better every year.

Want to know more about my story and approach? Read my full About Me page →